History of Cuba: Encyclopedia II - History of Cuba - Cuba in the Early 20th Century

History of Cuba - Cuba in the Early 20th Century

In 1902, the United States handed over control to a Cuban government that as a condition of the transfer had included in its constitution provisions implementing the requirements of the Platt Amendment, which among other things gave the United States the right to intervene militarily in Cuba. Land that was in ruins was acquired by U.S. investors, leading to the United States soon controlling three-quarters of the Cuban sugar, the main basis for the Cuban economy. Havana and Varadero became tourist resorts, riddled with casinos and strip-clubs. The Cuban population gradually recovered economic power from both Spanish and U.S. interests, and civil rights legislation against discrimination was enacted that ordered minimum employment quotas for Cubans.

President Tomás Estrada Palma was elected in 1902, and Cuba declared independent; however as part of the Platt Amendment, Guantanamo Bay was leased to the United States, however, the status of the Isle of Pines as Cuban territory was left undefined. Estrada Palma, a frugal man, governed successfully for his four year term; yet when he tried to extend his time in office, a revolt ensued. In 1906 the United States representative William Howard Taft, notably with the personal diplomacy of Frederick Funston negotiated an end of the successful revolt led by able young general Enrique Loynaz del Castillo [17], who had served under Antonio Maceo in the final war of independence. Estrada Palma resigned. The United States Governor Charles Magoon [18] assumed temporary control until 1909. In this period in the area of Manzanillo Agustín Martín Veloz, Blas Roca, and Francisco (Paquito) Rosales found the embryonic Cuban Communist Party [19].

For three decades, the country was led by former War of Independence leaders List of Presidents of Cuba, who after being elected did not serve more than two constitutional terms. The Cuban presidential succession: José Miguel Gómez (1908-1912); Mario Garcia Menocal (1913 to 1920); Alfredo Zayas (1921-25) [20]. The Castro government would later describe this period as a "pseudo-republic."

President Gerardo Machado was elected by popular vote in 1925, but he was constitutionally barred from reelection. Also in 1925, Abraham Semjovitch, code name Fabio Grobart [21], [22] a Kremlin Agent helps formally link the Cuban Communist Party to the Communist International [23] PCC. Machado, who determined to modernize Cuba set in motion a massive civil works with projects as the Central Highway, but at the end of his constitutional term held on to power; the United States, despite the Platt Amendment decided not to interfere militarily. The communists of the PCC did very little to resist Machado in his dictator phase; however, practically everybody else did. In the late 1920s and early 1933s a number of Cuban action groups, including some Mambí, staged a series of uprisings that either failed or did not affect the Capital. After much complex rebellion Machado was asked to leave by the Cuban Army and senior Cuban Civil Leaders in 1933 (ISBN 1593880472). After Machado was deposed there was a confused short interregnum.

About six months later still in September 1933 there was a successful enlisted man and non-commissioned officer mutiny, taking the lower ranks of the Cuban Army to power. A key figure in the process was Fulgencio Batista, an army sergeant holding a key post as a telegraph officer. Then Batista with his straight Taíno hair and very dark skin, often lightened in later photographs, was known at "El Mulato Lindo;" he was probably the first noticeably colored ruler of Cuba since the Spanish conquest. He gradually assumed total command. As this revolutionary process, and because it would limit Batista’s power, the Platt Amendment was repealed. Still, American pressure forced Cuba to reaffirm the agreement which was imposed on the country in 1903 which leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United States for a nominal sum, under terms which many Cubans at the time found (and some still find) objectionable and colonialistic.

To consolidate power, Batista heavy handedly suppressed a series of revolts. Notable at that of Blas Hernandez at the Atares Castle that of the regular army officers at the Hotel Nacional [24]. With encouragement from U.S. Ambassador Sumner Welles, he separated the Cuban military from the student-labor component of the new revolutionary government, and as army of chief of staff became the country's de facto leader behind a series of puppet presidents. In 1940, he became the country's official president in an election which many people considered to be rigged. During his tenure, he implemented several progressive policies regarding welfare and unemployment. Batista was voted out of office in 1944.

He was succeeded by Dr. Ramón Grau San Martín, a populist physician who had briefly held the presidency in the 1933 revolutionary process. President Grau passed a number of populist measures favoring workers and also had been instrumental in passing the 1940 Constitution, which has been widely regarded as one of the most progressive ever written in terms of worker protection and human rights.

Grau was followed by Carlos Prío Socarrás, also elected democratically, but whose government was tainted by increasing corruption and violent incidents among political factions. Fidel Castro appears on the public scene at the University of Havana, as a student-gangster, one of the "trigger happy boys" (los muchachos del gatillo alegre)Enrique Ros and is widely believed responsible for several murders. Eduardo Chibás was the leader of the Partido Ortodoxo (Orthodox Party), a liberal democratic group, who was widely expected to win in 1952 on an anticorruption platform. Chibás, entangled in an accusation that proved false, committed suicide before he could run for the presidency, and the opposition was left without its major leader.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Batista, who was running for president in the 1952 elections, but had only a small minority of votes, seized power in an almost bloodless coup three months before the election was to take place. President Prío did nothing to stop the coup, and therefore was forced to leave the island. Due to the corruption of the past two administrations, the general public reaction to the coup was somewhat accepting at first. However, Batista soon encountered stiff opposition when he suspended the balloting and the constitution, beginning to rule by decree. After a very promising start in his first (elected) term his policy was now very hard on the people and discontentment grew.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cuba in the Early 20th Century", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki